Today, November 11, is a day of honoring the men and women who serve in our armed forces.
Veterans Day (Remembrance Day in Canada, the U.K., and Australia) falls on the anniversary of the end of World War I. Some of us will observe a moment of silence at 11:11 a.m. Others will wear poppy pins in memory of the fighting that took place in the poppy fields of Europe.
The holiday is synonymous with "In Flanders Fields," a poem written by Canadian artillery officer Major John McCrae, who experienced firsthand the trials of fighting for what you believe in. We invite you to read his words and reflect on all that McCrae, and the millions of men and women in the U.S. and all over the world - fought for, and still fight for today.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields